iPhone battery replacement gone wrong.

Hi, all! I have an iPhone 6S+ and due to Apple's agreement to replace batteries for $29, I elected to bring mine to the Enfield CT store, as Apple informed me they were an authorized Apple repair hub. I dropped off my phone at around 2:30 PM and was told it would take 90 minutes to 2 hours to complete -- not a problem, as I had some errands to run. I came back at around 4:15 PM or so and received my phone. However, when I tried to unlock my phone, the Touch ID was not working.

My phone was brought back to undergo diagnostics again. I sat there for about 45 minutes with one or two reassurances that the repair person would come out and explain to me what happened. I want to emphasize that the Geek Squad worker was the only one working and did his best -- however, I sat there and waited around until I finally grabbed a random employee to check on the situation. This is around 5:00 PM. She went back and came back out to say that the phone is failing diagnostic tests and that my touch screen was no longer working. She said I had to wait a little while longer. I said I had dinner plans and I need my phone for work, so I wanted to know why replacing a battery suddenly went from a simple procedure to my phone not working. I gave her my partner's phone number, which she said she would call once they knew more, so I would not miss dinner.

I never received a call. The store closed at 8 PM (Sunday hours), so I had my partner drive me back to Enfield at around 7:45 PM only to be told that my phone had to be replaced. No one called me, no one told me what happened, and if I hadn't driven all the way back to the store, I wouldn't have been able to get a phone. The Geek Squad did give me a loaner phone and a new phone is on the way, but I am really upset that I had to waste my entire Sunday driving back and forth to the store because no one bothered to call me and let me know what was going on with my phone.

In the future, I am going to go to an Apple store and just wait to fix my phone. I understand that mistakes happen, but the fact that I sat around the store for hours and then no one called me to let me know what was going on really infuriated me. I'll post an update later if I get my phone, but has this been anyone else's experience? And Best Buy Support, please ensure in the future this doesn't happen to another customer.

Re: iPhone battery replacement gone wrong.

A cell phone can be an essential tool to have for work, so I can understand the how upsetting it was to learn that it was not working correctly and you could not receive it back that same night. I do believe that the agents should have been proactive in communicating letting you know what was going on with your cell phone after the touchscreen malfunction, it might have saved you a trip back to the store.

I want to apologize for the experience that you had with our in-store repair team, and I appreciate the time you have taken from your day to let us know about your experience. Best Buy cannot improve without the feedback of our customers, and I will be sure to record your concerns here at the corporate office so they will be available for further review. If you have any further questions or concerns, please let me know.

I look forward to your update.

Thank you,

Karina|Social Media Specialist | Best Buy® Corporate Give Kudos if you like this post or Accept as Solution if it answers your query!

Re: iPhone battery replacement gone wrong.

The loaner phone they gave was an iPhone 6 -- my case would not fit on it, and I wasn't going to buy a new case for a phone I would only have for two days. With my fortunate luck, I slipped and fell, and the phone screen shattered. It took me nine hours of talking to Best Buy Corporate, Best Buy Enfield CT's management, until I finally got Manager Kevin to agree waive the mandatory repair fee, given the fiasco that my experience had been thusfar.

I am grateful for that, but today (3/9) I was called by someone in the Geek Squad to say that my replacement phone (which I was told would be overnighted on 3/4 and arrive at the store at 3/9, given the Bomb Cyclone that happened mid-week) would not be here until 3/23. Three weeks?! I'm not the one who broke my phone in the first place, and now I have a loaner phone with a shattered screen, and I'm unable to work. I was told to call back at 4:00 PM to speak with Kevin again to ask about getting a replacement loaner, but as the loaner I received was an "unauthorized loan" (what does that even mean?), I would have to speak to a manager directly.

If I had just gone to the Apple Store, none of this would have happened. Terrible, frustrating, and now I am going to be without a cell phone for over three weeks due to this nightmare. I'm so beyond frustrated and fed-up. I'll update this as I receive more news. But please avoid if you have an Apple product. It is an absolute nightmare.

Re: iPhone battery replacement gone wrong.

We appreciate you taking the time to update us on your mobile experience. Accidents happen, and it is unfortunate to learn that your original loaner phone screen shattered with your fall. I glad to hear that you worked something out with the store leadership team to help dismiss the mandatory repair fee.

I understand that the length of time it will take for your replacement phone has exceeds the original date of delivery. Please continue to work with the store leadership to learn what they can do to speed up the delivery for you. Know that I continue to document the details of what you experience, and I hope that the leaders at the store can resolve this promptly for you.

Thank you for your time,

Karina|Social Media Specialist | Best Buy® Corporate Give Kudos if you like this post or Accept as Solution if it answers your query!

Re: iPhone battery replacement gone wrong.

Karina, Rather than wasting all of these peoples time and money, just tell themto go to Apple. They know what they are doing, they don’t lie to their customers, and they are really nice about fixing the stuff you guys screw up. Maybe Best Buy could learn something from them?

Re: iPhone battery replacement gone wrong.

I know that your time is valuable, protestations, and I can assure you that if the store could influence the arrival of the store they would have done so. Unfortunately, weather plays a huge role in the delivery process, and the recent weather mishaps are negatively impacting your phone shipment.

Your feedback is appreciated, and I believe the store is acting upon all available options to provide you a working phone. I was able to confirm that the "unauthorized loan" that was given to you is a phone that the store has available. Our stores are not required to provide this option to our customer, but I believe that the leadership team at the store recognizes what a valuable customer you are to us and offered it as an alternative until your phone arrives.

It was also brought to my attention that you reach out to our team through Twitter, my co-worker, Megan was able to reach out to the store for more insights and was able to make sure that the General Manager at the store knew about your situation. Our team is confident that the store is taking the necessary steps for this experience to not happen again. If you have any additional comments about your experience, I encourage you to continue working with the store's leadership.

Thank you for your continuous updates and for sharing your experience in this space.

Karina|Social Media Specialist | Best Buy® Corporate Give Kudos if you like this post or Accept as Solution if it answers your query!